Deeksha Lade (21), the daughter of Chandramani Lade, a member of fire-fighting staff at the Pulgaon Army ammunition depot, is cheerful when asked about her father’s colleague Swapnil Khurge.
“He saved my father’s life by risking his own,” Deeksha says.
Mr. Lade, along with Mr. Khurge, was part of the fire-fighting squad deployed to douse the blaze at the Army’s Central Ammunition Depot on Tuesday.
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“I was inside my vehicle when the explosion took place. I was not injured but there was bleeding from my ears. The other staff also managed to escape by hiding behind the vehicle. But the way fire was spreading, I could see death in front of my eyes. Three of our vehicles were blown in the air. Some vehicles of Army officers and the QRT [Quick Response Team] were also blown away by the explosion. All my boys were panicking,” said Mr. Khurge.
Never lost hope However, he did not lose hope and asked his colleagues, including Mr. Lade, to sit inside the vehicle that was soon surrounded by fire.
“I began to drive my vehicle through the fire. My colleagues told me that our vehicle would be blown up. But I told them if we stopped there, we would certainly die. I never thought we would manage to cross the fire as one of the tyres was already damaged. But with god’s grace, I managed to drive through the blaze and reach the gate of the installation where ambulances were already parked. I only developed bleeding from my ears. Rest of my staff is safe,” said Mr. Khurge.
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As a result of the accident, Mr. Khurge is still unable to hear through his right ear.